Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been arrested again. The fighter, who is set to return to the cage on April 23, was pulled over five days ago and cited for drag racing, equipment modifications, an issue with his license plate and failure to maintain a traffic lane. That was enough for a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest on probation violations.
Jones was famously involved in a hit and run incident last year where he ran a red light and crashed into a pregnant woman’s car. The UFC fighter then fled the scene on foot before turning himself in the next day. The UFC stripped him of his 205 pound belt and suspended him. The courts would later sentence Jones to 18 months of supervised probation and community service in the form of 72 speaking appearances.
Police bodycam footage of Jones swearing at the officer who pulled him over for drag racing appeared on the internet yesterday. In it, he calls the officer a ‘pig’ and ‘f*cking liar’ several times. Jones has since apologized for his reaction and claims the drag racing charge was the result of “simply revving my engine and acknowledging some of my local fans.”
It’s all an unfortunate turn of events for Jones, who seemed like he had turned a new leaf and was done with substance abuse problems and issues with the police. Unfortunately for him, he just can’t seem to stay out of trouble when he gets behind the wheel of a car. An earlier incident involving a lack of paperwork was glossed over last month, but this time there could be more serious repercussions.
Will Jones still make it to his title fight against Daniel Cormier at the end of April? Given all the leniency he’s seen in the past, I’d assume yes. But this could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.